The Dos and Don’ts of Prospect Property Tours

Wednesday March 23, 2022

Any kind of golf property from the most exclusive private clubs in the world to ultra-affordable city municipal courses have some sort of sales staff and operations to bring new revenue into the club outside of regular tee times. If your club is a daily fee operation, event sales and group golf day sales are an absolute must to supplement your regular tee time revenue. And on the flip side, membership sales at private clubs are the bread and butter of club revenue generation. But if your sales staff is fumbling or the property tour, you can probably kiss that supplemental revenue goodbye.

According to 59club data collected over 15 years from thousands of golf properties all over the world, here are the most important things your sales staff MUST do to ensure the property tour goes smoothly and your club gets the event business or membership sale.

Be on Time

Be on time. Be on time. BE ON TIME! No one likes to wait and if your first in-person impression is of someone who doesn’t value another person’s time, expect for just about everything to go poorly from there. The good news is this is an easy fix. Just – say it with us – be on time.

Have a Warm Welcome Waiting

You’re on time. Now what? The best sales people in the world wait out front for their guests and present a warm and welcome greeting. That means smiling, excellent eye contact, engaging conversation to break the ice and the use of the guest’s name. It’s welcoming, disarming and the best first impression one can ask for.

Offer a Beverage

Offering a beverage to a guest is hospitality 101, but bonus points can be scored by telling the server your guest’s name beforehand so they can use it as they approach the table.

Recap the Phone Conversation

“How many people are you expecting again,” he asked before losing the business. The property tour won’t be the first interaction with a prospect, so make sure to dust off your sales notes to let the prospect you value his/her time and you were paying attention. Refer back to specifics from your notes and have answers to questions readily available.

Custom Tailored Tours Based on Needs

Chances are your club is not an arts center and your sales staff members are not docents, so make sure to avoid “museum tours” – the same tour for every guest. Tailor your property tour to match the needs and pain points of the prospect with specifics based on your previous conversations.

Confirm the Tour Length and Prospect Availability

Some people have all day to make sure your property is the best suited for their needs. Some have 30 minutes. Confirm the length of the tour twice – once on the phone and then again as your prospect arrives to ensure you get to everything you need to cover before time runs out.

Get the Tour Started

This goes for every your, but especially if your prospect has limited time. Get things started! No one wants to listen to your sales staff drone on about the wallpaper or the time they aced the 16th hole. Get your prospect something to drink, confirm the length of the tour, confirm the needs of the prospect and get going!

THE IMPORTANCE OF MYSTERY SHOPPING AT THE CLUB LEVEL

Tuesday March 22, 2022

Mike Kelly, Managing Partner of 59club USA, has been at the club operations game for a while. And as a general manager of any type of club – especially a golf club spanning hundreds of acres – it’s just not feasible to be everywhere at once. That’s where 59club USA’s mystery shopping services come into play.

Take a look at the video below where Kelly explains the ins and outs of mystery shopping, why it’s important for club managers and how it can help elevate the service level to meet and exceed your customer or member’s needs.

59CLUB USA TO PROVIDE MYSTERY SHOPPING SERVICES TO WESTHAVEN GOLF CLUB

Tuesday March 22, 2022

59club USA announced today they added Westhaven Golf Club in Franklin, Tennessee, to the 59club USA client roster. 59club USA will use their industry-leading proprietary software and objective data analysis tools to provide mystery shopping services to help increase member satisfaction throughout the entire club experience.

“Westhaven Golf Club is an incredible property and we’re delighted to begin working with them,” said Mike Kelly, managing partner, 59club USA. “We look forward to showcasing our world-class customer service platform and provide knowledgeable insights into their current operations.”

59club is a service-based management tool and customer service provider which uses objective data points and images to measure, improve and then maintain standards of customer service, in turn increasing visitor and member retention. Results of on-site testing from 59club are a boost to customer satisfaction, revenues and profits for clubs who use their services such as customer satisfaction surveys, mystery shopping services and employee training – both virtual and on-site.

“We’re extremely excited to use 59club USA’s mystery shopping services to help enhance our customer service, not only in our golf operations, but throughout our club experience,” Mark Lammi, General Manager of Westhaven Golf Club. “As a premier private club and a Troon Prive-managed property, we’re only as good as the service we provide to our members. We’re happy to employ these specific tools so we can continue to provide excellent service to our current and future members.”

Located just south of Nashville in Franklin, Westhaven Golf Club is located adjacent to the Westhaven master-planned community, developed by Southern Land Company. The core-golf design blends seamlessly with the surrounding hills and ridgelines of western Williamson County earning the club national recognition for outstanding design from both GolfWeek and Golf Digest. Westhaven Golf Club is managed by Troon Privé, the private club operations division of Troon.

59club USA has established and developed relationships with more than 150 well-known golf clubs and resorts in North America including 14 TPC Network properties, Reynolds Lake Oconee, The Mid Ocean Club in Bermuda, Haig Point in South Carolina and We-Ko-Pa Golf Club in Scottsdale. Additionally, 59club USA works with management companies Bobby Jones Links, Landscapes Golf Management, and Arcis Golf, three of the world’s largest management companies.